Adoption and foster care of deaf children by deaf adults

Research studies show that the deaf parent’s personal experience of deafness, skills in communication and participation in the deaf community, account for advantage which their deaf children have over deaf children of hearing parents in communication and language development, educational attainment, social maturity and self image.

Deaf adults have long sought to make their experience of being deaf, deaf culture, skills in sign language and communication and their membership of the deaf community accessible to deaf children and their hearing families, particularly through a direct involvement in the education system.

However,little consideration has been given to how such expertise and experience could be made available to deaf children who are unable to live with their own families. Research and development work in the UK and USA have attempted to : 1°)raise awareness amongst the deaf community about the needs of such children who are cared for by public welfare services and 2°)influence the policy and practice of agencies responsible for funding substitute families to recruit deaf carers (adoptive and foster parents).

The methods employed include publication of books and literature of social workers, production of video in sign language for deaf people (UK), research on the needs and numbers of deaf children in need of families (UK and USA)and networking families seeking or currently for a deaf child (USA).